Lucifer's Shopping Trip

[Lucy]

She Sally, She. Obviously before your time

The Toys. Play School presenters may have come and gone, but the toys were always there. They can still be viewed today at the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television at Bradford.
There were five toys in total.

Jemima the rag doll - "An empty headed bimbette" according to Fred Harris
Humpty, a home-made-looking green egg thing - Harris thought he was "a bit rumbustious", and rather prone to falling over.

Big Ted - rather "stodgy", but a great favourite with Eric Morecambe, who used to visit the toys when working in a nearby studio. Big Ted was a victim of crime, with the Play School team returning after lunch one day to find he had been stolen. A replacement was found, but the original Ted was never seen again.

Little Ted - often overshadowed, but a good sort.

Hamble the doll - the hate figure of the under-fives for the entire run of the programme.

Although it was originally a very common type of doll, sold in Woolworths, by the time Play School was in full flow there were only two Hambles in Britain. The other was owned by a woman in Chester, who would hire it to the BBC for £40 a week whenever the Play School regular was injured.
That happened quite often, as it wasn't just the audience who detested Hamble. None of the presenters could stand her either, so she'd get drop kicked across the studio, and once, when she wouldn't behave, Chloe Ashcroft took a dreadful liberty.

"I did a terrible thing to Hamble. She just would not sit up...so one day I got a very big knitting needle, a bit wooden one, and I stuck it right up her bum, as far as her head. So she was completely rigid, and she was much much better after that."

[SallyAnne]

The 2 best Christmases I've has are:
1) Cleared off to Australia for 5 weeks
2) The anti-christmas Christmas. Had loads of friends over (of a similar mindset) and had pizza and a BBQ

Yeah we've been thinking along the same lines. We've got no kids, dont care about vegetables, and couldn't give a toss about the religiousy side...so all we've planned so far is: -

1) Snacks list
2) Booze for the Queens Speach drinking game
3) Which pub to grace with our presence on Xmas eve

I woulnd't mind making some Xmasy tastey nibbles tough, just so that we dont both wake up on boxing day with a face full of spots!

[EqualOpportunities]

Yeah we've been thinking along the same lines. We've got no kids, dont care about vegetables, and couldn't give a toss about the religiousy side...so all we've planned so far is: -

1) Snacks list
2) Booze for the Queens Speach drinking game
3) Which pub to grace with our presence on Xmas eve

I woulnd't mind making some Xmasy tastey nibbles tough, just so that we dont both wake up on boxing day with a face full of spots!

Nibbles cure spots?

[SallyAnne]

She Sally, She. Obviously before your time

The Toys. Play School presenters may have come and gone, but the toys were always there. They can still be viewed today at the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television at Bradford.
There were five toys in total.

Jemima the rag doll - "An empty headed bimbette" according to Fred Harris
Humpty, a home-made-looking green egg thing - Harris thought he was "a bit rumbustious", and rather prone to falling over.

Big Ted - rather "stodgy", but a great favourite with Eric Morecambe, who used to visit the toys when working in a nearby studio. Big Ted was a victim of crime, with the Play School team returning after lunch one day to find he had been stolen. A replacement was found, but the original Ted was never seen again.

Little Ted - often overshadowed, but a good sort.

Hamble the doll - the hate figure of the under-fives for the entire run of the programme.

Although it was originally a very common type of doll, sold in Woolworths, by the time Play School was in full flow there were only two Hambles in Britain. The other was owned by a woman in Chester, who would hire it to the BBC for £40 a week whenever the Play School regular was injured.
That happened quite often, as it wasn't just the audience who detested Hamble. None of the presenters could stand her either, so she'd get drop kicked across the studio, and once, when she wouldn't behave, Chloe Ashcroft took a dreadful liberty.

"I did a terrible thing to Hamble. She just would not sit up...so one day I got a very big knitting needle, a bit wooden one, and I stuck it right up her bum, as far as her head. So she was completely rigid, and she was much much better after that."

What an informative post!

I do remember play school - I loved it, and it ended when I was vry young. I remember oth the teds (I had my very own Big Ted) And Jemima. But I cant remember Hamble. Did they get rid of her then for being troublesome?

[SallyAnne]

Nibbles cure spots?

Yes

I'd put the odd bit of healthy stuff in them you see, to balance out the giant tub of maltesers!

[Numptycorner]

What an informative post!

I do remember play school - I loved it, and it ended when I was vry young. I remember oth the teds (I had my very own Big Ted) And Jemima. But I cant remember Hamble. Did they get rid of her then for being troublesome?

Have you told us about your bowel movements yet Sally?

[SallyAnne]

Have you told us about your bowl movements yet Sally?

Why is everyone else allowed to talk about themselves, but when I do it I get stick?
Just stick me on your ignore list if I **** you off so much numpty.

[DaveB]

What an informative post!

I do remember play school - I loved it, and it ended when I was vry young. I remember oth the teds (I had my very own Big Ted) And Jemima. But I cant remember Hamble. Did they get rid of her then for being troublesome?

There is some mystery surrounding Hambles disappearance...

Hamble was the only toy not to make it through to the end, being replaced by black doll Poppy in an 80s attempt to be more inclusive. That's their story as to why she went, anyway...

Playing away. The Play School format was sold to many foreign broadcasters in a sort of kit form, including studio diagrams, stories and activity ideas. The Australian version, made by Channel Nine, survives even today, and Canadian tots show Polka Dot Shorts still reveals its Playschool-spin-off origin by the prescence of Teds and a Humpty.

One thing all the foreign broadcasters were agreed on was - no Hamble. Every single one dropped her.

[Numptycorner]

Why is everyone else allowed to talk about themselves, but when I do it I get stick?
Just stick me on your ignore list if I **** you off so much numpty.

I only wondered, Gillian Mckeeth would not like your poop, no vegetables= Irregular and smelly poo

[SallyAnne]

I only wondered, Gillian Mckeeth would not like your poop, no vegetables= Irregular and smelly poo

Thats not what you meant, but nice back track